(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare)
By Lisa Messinger
Food and Cooking at Creators Syndicate
When you think of nachos, if you focus on large platters of chips topped with heaps of meat, cheese and sour cream, think again. The appetizer, snack or meal that's always been a decadent restaurant favorite is a quick-prep treat at home, too. The even better news is that choosing your own foundations and toppings mean not only good flavor can be at your fingertips, but good nutrition as well.
Consider some of my favorite options:
Foundations:
Stone-ground organic tortilla chips; whole-wheat crackers; toasted whole-grain pita pieces; rice crackers; whole-grain rye crackers.
Toppings: Kale; spinach; basil; corn; mushrooms; grated carrots; pinto beans; black beans; humus; pesto.
Fun fare like this also proves food preparation can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun - and fast. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare. The creative combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for creating homemade specialties and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!
Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you - or your kidlet helpers - choose to use can't help but draw "wows" from family members and guests.
Creative vegan cook Nava Atlas gives her nachos tasty and healthful twists that probably will have any nacho lover giving thanks. Give them a try:
VEGAN NACHOS
About 5 ounces natural, stone-ground, organic tortilla chips
1 cup grated cheddar- or nacho-style nondairy cheese
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced, or 1 (4-ounce) can diced mild green chilies (see Note)
1/2 cup lightly cooked fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) black, red or pinto beans
1 medium ripe fresh tomato, finely chopped
About 3 big handfuls baby spinach, rinsed well
Optional toppings, to taste:
Lightly cooked sliced mushrooms
Salsa Guacamole Vegan sour cream
Yields 4 to 6 servings.
Preheat oven to 350 F unless you plan to use the microwave.
Arrange the tortilla chips on a large platter or a shallow round casserole dish about 14 inches in diameter. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese, followed by the chili peppers, corn, beans and tomato.
Bake for about 8 minutes, until the cheese is well melted, or microwave for 3 minutes on high or less (making sure it is not burning or getting too well done).
Scatter the spinach over the top and return to the oven for about 2 minutes, just until it wilts (or to the microwave for another one minute or less, just until it wilts, and checking that it is not getting too well done).
Serve immediately, letting diners add their own optional toppings.
Note: Experts recommend wearing latex gloves when handling fresh peppers and not touching your eyes during or afterward.
-Plant Power by Nava AtlasQUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: "Jicama is a sweet potato relative," writes Katrine van Wyk in
Best Green Eats Ever. "It has a bright white flesh and brown skin. Eaten raw, it's crispy and refreshing and perfect in slaws, salads, or just sliced. It also has a high water content, making it perfect for juicing. Nutritionally, it contains plenty of fiber and vitamin C, yet is low in calories."
Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling
The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and
Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet (Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
